Automatic steam and air whistle



(NoModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. H. CROSBY.

. AUTOMATIC STEAM AND AIR WHISTLE.

Patented July 12, 1881.

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Patented July 12, 1881.

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(No Model.) 7 3 SheetsSheet 3. I J. H. CROSBY:

AUTOMATIC STEAM AND AIR WHISTLE. No. 244,036.'

Patented July 12, 1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. CROSBY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK S. LEE, OF MOULTONBOROUGH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

AUTOMATIC STEAM AND AIR WHISTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,036, dated July 12, 1881.

Application filed December 31, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs H. CRosBY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Steam and Air Whistles, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of signaling apparatus in which a steam or air whistle is automatically caused to give a succession of intermittent blasts of any desired duration, and in which the duration of the intermissions between the blasts can be regulated at will; 1 5 and it consists in the combination, with a valve for opening and closing the whistle, of a piston which moves in a suitable cylinder, is forced upward by steam, and on its upward movement efiects the opening of the valve of the whistle, but descends by the action of gravity another piston connected to the firstnamed piston and moving with it, and also moving in a suitable cylinder, which second piston is retarded in its downward movement 2 5 by the resistance afforded by a liquid, which,

as the piston descends, is allowed to gradually flow from underneath the piston through anopening the size of which can be. varied according to the rate at which it is desired to have the piston descend, and mechanism operated by the upward and downward movement of the piston to open and close the induction-valve which admits steam to the upper cylinder and the exhaust from the same.

It also consists in the combination, with the said induction-valve, of an auxiliary valve and suitable mechanism, whereby the steam entering the valve-chamber is made to effect the opening of the induction-valve.

In-the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the cylinders, pistons, valves, valve-chamber, and mechanism for opening and closing the valves. Fig. 2 is a view, in elevation, of the steamgenerator, steam-whistle, and mechanism for operating the valve of the same; and Fig.3is a sectional view of the valves and valve-chamber, and a part of the device for automatically opening the induction-valve. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional (No model.)

view of the valves and valve-operatin g meoh- 5o anism on an enlarged scale.

In these several figures the same letters refer to the same parts.

Referring to the drawings, A, Fig. 1, is a cylinder placed vertically and supported on a suitable standard, and B is another cylinder, which is also placed vertically, and is supported above the cylinder A at such a distance from the same as will be sufficient to allow a full stroke to the pistons, to be hereinafter referred to. Moving on each of these cylinders is a piston, O and D, which pistons are attached to the same rod, so that they move together and occupy similar positions in their respective cylinders at the same time. The lower cylinder, A,is filled with a liquidpreferably oil or glycerineand two ways or pipes,

E and F, are provided, by means of which communication is established between the spaces above and below the piston C. One of these pipes or ways is of larger diameter than the other, and this largest pipe or way E is provided with one or more valves, a a, which open and permit the liquid to flow out from above the piston 0 when it rises, but close when the piston descends; and this pipe or way is of such diameter that the liquid in the cylinder is able to flow from one side of the piston to the other with rapidity. In the other pipe or way, F, the liquid is able to flow in both directions; but this pipe or way is of much smaller diameter than the pipe or way E, so that when the piston descends its movement will be retarded by the resistance caused by the slow flow of the liquid in the cylinder A from the space below the piston to the space above the same, and astop-cock, b, is provided in the pipe or way F, by means of which the flow of liquid can be regulated so as to admit of the piston descending in alonger or a shorter time. The piston in the cylinderB is adapted to be raised by steam, which is admitted below the piston at the lower part of the cylinder B, and both pistons are so placed that they are at their lowest positions at the same time.

The valves for admitting steam to the cylinder B are represented in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings on alarger scale th anin Fig. 1. These valves are slide-valves of the usual type, and are placed in a suitable chamber, G, in convenient proximity to the steam-cylinder B.

Referring to the drawings, I is thepipe which extends from the steamgenerator to the valvechamber, and H is the pipe which connects the valve-chamber with the cylinder 13.

K is the valve for the port H, and in Fig. 3 this valve is represented as closed.

From the valve-chamber G a pipe, L, extends to a vertical cylinder, M, properly supported near the valve-chamber, which cylinder is filled with water, and at its lower end is closed by a diaphragm, N, of rubber or some similar material. Underneath this diaphragm is a piston, O; and P is a spring which acts to force said piston upward. A plate of perforated metal, It, may be placed above the diaphragm N for the purpose of protecting the same. The piston O is connected to a lever, T, which is fulcrumed to one of the supports of the cylinder B, and rests upon a projection or nut, 6, upon a rod,U, which rod extends into the valve-chamber through suitable packing and is attached to the valve K. The entrance to the pipe L is closed by the auxiliary valve T in the chamber G. When the apparatus is not in motion the auxiliary valve T is in such a position that the pipe L is in communication with the valve-chamber G, and when steam is admitted to the valve-chamber it flows through the pipe L to the cylinder M, and acting upon the piston O forces it down, so that the end of leverTis depressed and carries down the rod U and the valve K attached to the same, so that the port H is opened, steam is admitted to the cylinder, and the piston D is forced up.

Various forms of mechanism may be devised by means of which the upward movement of I the piston may be made to close the valve K at the proper time, and I do not confine myself to any particular form for accomplishing this result. A device for automatically efiecting the opening and closing of the valves is, however, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and is thus constructed:

Upon the rod connecting the pistons G and D is placed a cross-head, W, and upon each side of this cross-head is placed a wiper of any suitable form, which wipers are not shown in the drawings.

Above the cross-head is pivoted a bent lever, (I, one arm of which slides upon the rod U connected to the valve K, and the other extends downward and is provided with a projection, c, which, as the cross-head ascends, is struck by one of the wipers on the cross-head, so that that arm of the lever is thrown outward, and thus causes the elevation of the other arm, which, by its engagement with a nut, e, on the rod U, raises said rod and the valve K, and thus causes the steam to be cut oil.

f is another bent lever, which is pivoted below the cross-head. One arm of this lever is connected to a rod, Y, which is attached to the auxiliary valve, and the other arm extends upward and is provided with a projection, g, which is so placed that it is struck by the other wiper on the cross-head, near the termination of the upward stroke of the same, and thus causes the short arm of the lever tobe raised up so as to efiect the closure of the auxiliary valve T through the medium of the rod connecting said valve to the said short arm of the lever. On the said rod, below the cross-head, is placed a projection, i, which is struck by said cross-head on thecompletiou of its downward stroke, and thus effects the restoration of the bentlever f to its former position and the opening of the auxiliary valve T. Another lever, S, is provided, which is struck by the cross-head near the completion of its upward stroke, and thus eifects the opening of a valve which admits steam above the piston, and cushions the same. By means of this device the piston is caused to make its stroke in the same time, whatever may be the pressure of the steam in the boiler.

Attached to the cross-head is a rod, A, by means of which the upward movement of the pistons is caused to effect the opening of the valve of the steam or air whistle.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings a steam-whistle is shown for giving signals; but instead of a steam-whistle any suitable device giving signals by compressed air may be used.

The whistle B shown is of the ordinary construction, and G is its valve, which is an ordinary puppet-valve, and is provided with a stem, D, which carries on its extremity a roller, E. This roller rests against a bar, F, having a curved face, so that itis narrower at its upper than its lower extremity, which moves vertically in a suitable guide, G, and is connected to a lever, B, suitably pivoted below the whistle. Another friction-roller, J, may be placed upon the other side of the bar F. When the whistle is closed the end of the lever H is depressed, as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines, and the roller E bears against the upper part of the bar F 5 but aslthe piston ascends a projection, I, on the rod A, comes into contact with the end of the lever H and raises the same and the bar F, so that the valve is thrown open by the pressure of the curved face of the bar against the roller E. It is evident that the extent to which the valve is thrown open will be determined by the width of the bar F, and that the duration of the blast will be dependent upon the length of the curved face of the bar; but as the device is well known it need not be more fully described.

When steam is admitted to the valve-chamber it passes through the auxiliary valve T, and causes the opening of the induction-valve K in the manner hereinbefore described, so that steam flows into the cylinder 13 and raises the piston D, and consequently the piston O and rod A, at the same time operating the mechanism by means of which the auxiliary ICC IEO

and induction valves are closed and the exhaust-ports opened. Near the termination of the upward stroke of the piston D the valve is automatically opened, so that steam is admitted above the same, which prevents it from coming up violently, and also the projection I on the rod A raises thelever H, andthus causes the valve of the whistle to be opened and a blast to be produced. When the exhaust-ports are opened the piston descends by its own weight, but this descent is rendered slow for the reason that time is required for the flow .of the liquid inthe cylinder from below to above the piston 0 through the pipe F. hen the cross-head W has nearly reached the termination of its downward stroke the auxiliary valve is automatically opened by the device hereinbefore described, and steam is again admitted to the cylinder B, so that the piston again ascends and another blast is produced.

It will thus be seen that aslong as steam is admitted to the valve-chamber a succession of blasts will be given, and that the length of the blast and the duration of the intermission between the same can be regulated at will.

It will be also seen that this device is very economical in the use of steam, for the reason that no steam is required while the piston is descending between the blasts, and as the steam which causes the ascent of the piston works expansively but little steam is required for that purpose.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1S-

1. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, with an air or steam whistle, of a vertically-movin g piston which is forced up by steam, but descends by its own weight, and on its ascent operates the air or steam whistle, another piston which moves with the first-named piston, and is retardedin its descent by the resistance afforded by the slow passage of liquid from one side of the piston to the other, and mechanism operated by the ascent and descent of the piston to automatically open and close the valve which admits steam to the cylinder in which the firstnamed piston moves.

2. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, of the cylinder B, piston D, moving vertically in the same, the cylinder A, the piston 0, moving vertically in the cylinder A, and connected to the piston D, the pipes E and F, communicating with the cylinder A above or below the piston, the valves a a in the pipe or way E, the cross-head W, the valves K and T, and mechanism operated by the cross-head on its ascent and descent to automatically open and close the said valves.

3. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, with the cross-head W and wipers attached thereto, of the valves and their operating-rods a and y, and bent levers d and f, provided, respectively, with the projections c and g.

4. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, of the auxiliary valve T, the pipes L and M, the valve-chamber G, the diaphragm N, piston 0, spring P, lever T, rod U, and valve K.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of the two subscribing wit nesses.

JAMES H. CROSBY.

Witnesses:

A. L. HAYES, A. W. HAYES. 

